(NewsTarget) No paragraph should begin with 'Renderers convert dead animals intoâ¦' and end with 'crayons.' Yet this is exactly how the Introduction Paragraph started and ended in a report provided to the 108th Congress in 2004. The report provided to Congress discusses dead animals rendered into various products such as pet food and crayons.

The elected Representatives of the 108th Congress were provided a startling report in 2004; compiled by the Congressional Research Services, authored by Geoffrey S. Becker. The report titled Animal Rendering: Economics and Policy explained the processes of the Rendering Industry, and what the products they produce become part of.

The 2004 report to Congress is found in the library of Congressional Research Service. http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/p... It is the most recent information reported to Congress on the Rendering Industry (according to documents within the Congressional Research Service library). The 'Introduction' paragraph explains the little discussed industry. "Renderers convert dead animals and animal parts that otherwise would require disposal into a variety of materials, including edible and inedible tallow and lard and proteins such as meat and bone meal (MBM). These materials in turn are exported or sold to domestic manufacturers of a wide range of industrial and consumer goods such as livestock feed and pet food, soaps, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, plastics, personal care products, and even crayons."

The Rendering Industry claims to be the 'first recyclers'. Their task of removing waste material is disgusting to ponder; however, it is a necessary evil. "Renderers annually convert 47 billion pounds or more of raw animal materials into approximately 18 billion pounds of products." Besides the leftovers from processing human foods in the U.S., 'renderers collect and process about half of all livestock and poultry that die from diseases.'

Againâ¦crayons?

To provide a complete understanding of rendering, the Congressional report explains the two types of rendering facilities. "Integrated plants operate in conjunction with animal slaughter and meat processing plants and handle 65%-70% of all rendered material." These 'integrated rendering plants' render (or cook) "most edible animal byproducts (i.e., fatty animal tissue), mainly into edible fats (tallow and lard) for human consumption." Of concern to consumers "These plants also render inedible byproducts (including slaughter floor waste) into fats and proteins for animal feeds and for other ingredients." To the contrary of integrated rendering plants, "Independent operations handle the other 30%-35% of rendered material. They pick up and process fat and bone trimmings, inedible meat scraps, blood, feathers, and dead animals from meat and poultry slaughterhouses and processors, farms, ranches, feedlots, animal shelters, restaurants, butchers, and markets. Almost all of the resulting ingredients are destined for nonhuman consumption (e.g., animal feeds, industrial products)."

Diseased animals and dead animals removed from farms and/or animal shelters, rendered into animal feed (including pet foods), should be a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Federal law specifically prohibits any diseased animal or euthanized animal to become part of any food; human or animal. Despite Federal laws to prevent any food from containing a diseased animal, the FDA allows pet food to contain these rendered illegal ingredients. Although crayons are not classified as food, many, if not most children put them in their mouths; it is horrifying to think crayons could contain the remains of a diseased/dead animal.

It is simply incomprehensible to consider that no one of the 535 members of the 108th Congress, of which this report was prepared for, did anything to prevent children's crayons from containing rendered dead animal parts; nothing to prevent pet food from violating Federal law.

For at least four years, our Representatives in Congress have been aware of, and done nothing to change the facts that rendered diseased animals and shelter pets become animal feed ingredients. Federal laws, developed by Congress to protect the foods of humans and animals, should have prevented this from ever being a concern. With more and more development of bio-fuel plants, why wasn't someone of the 108th Congress thinking these horrendous rendered ingredients would be better used to produce bio-fuel than crayons and pet foods? It is long past time; immediate action is necessary to stop the rendered remains of diseased animals and shelter pets from becoming ingredients of pet foods, soaps, 'and even crayons'. Hideous and criminal ingredients cannot continue to put children, pets, and their people at risk.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,Susan Thixton

About the author

Susan Thixton has an international pet people following providing dog and cat lovers a trusted source for pet food and pet food ingredient information. She's been called courageous, perseverant, even "the Caped Crusader for Pets" for her 16 year study of pet food. Susan Thixton is the author of hundreds of pet industry articles and the 2006 released book Truth About Pet Food (currently being updated for a second edition). She developed and publishes the pet product consumer magazine Petsumer Report and is a frequent speaker and radio guest all over the U.S. and Canada with more than 70 appearances in the last 2 years.If you are looking for straight forward pet food information that can have an almost immediate impact on your pet's health - subscribe to the free newsletter, and subscribe to Petsumer Report to see reviews of close to 700 dog and cat foods and treats (adding 40+ each month). Susan Thixton's 'truth' will help you find a safer, healthier dog or cat food that could add years to your pet's life. http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com